Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety Honor Honda as a "Highway Safety Hero"

In the 66 years since its founding, the Honda Motor Company has won many awards for safety, reliability, and value. Now it adds yet another award to its already impressive collection. In June of 2014 Honda was given the prestigious "Highway Hero" award by the Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety. This non-profit organization annually honors both corporations and individuals "in recognition of efforts to save lives, prevent injuries, and make roads safer". This year's recipients included 26 current and former members of Congress, eight state officials, 14 citizen-activists, and a single car company-Honda.

Honda has stated that its company's commitment is improving the road for everyone using it. The company has always been at the forefront of the automotive industry with innovative safety technologies. A number of Honda safety features have been designed specifically to help reduce pedestrian injuries in case of collision, or help drivers avoid such accidents altogether. Honda vehicles have hoods with collapsible hinges and windshield wipers with breakaway pivots to help reduce head injuries, the most common cause of pedestrian fatalities.

Honda was also praised for leading the industry in the installation of rearview-mounted cameras in its vehicles. By 2013, 94 percent of all Honda and Acura models sold had this device included as part of their standard operating equipment. These cameras will be included in all Honda and Acura models by 2015. Pedestrians behind a vehicle are difficult for a driver to see while backing the car up, because of the vehicle's large rear view blind zone. This blind zone can range from a few to as much as fifty feet, and children are especially vulnerable.

Honda chief Safety Engineer, Chuck Thomas indicated in accepting the award that the company wasn't finished in its goal to reduce and eliminate vehicle-pedestrian collisions. He stated that as part of Honda's "Safety for Everyone" program, its engineers continue to develop advanced technologies that will allow vehicles to detect pedestrians before collision. This "V2P" (Vehicle To Pedestrian) technology will allow the vehicle to use GPS and smart phone technology to alert pedestrians and other vehicles with visual and auditory cues of impending collision.

And Digital Journal points out that these innovations are not the only contributions Honda has made to pedestrian safety. Honda developed the breakthrough POLAR II and POLAR III crash test dummies, which have proved invaluable in gathering information on potential collisions, and manages the world's two most highly regarded simulated crash test sites. And while the company is deeply appreciative of these most recent accolades for Honda safety, it wasn't the only such award it received this year. The Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS) awarded Honda its "Top Safety Pick" and "Top Safety Pick+" crash ratings for all of its models, making this company the leader in automotive safety.

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